Parachute



F. J. COUGHLIN. PARACHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED APII. 30. I9I9.

1,387,455. Patented Aug. 16,1921.

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PA'RAcHuTE.

`APPLICATION FILED APR. 30| |919.

1,387,455. A v Patented Aug. 16, 1921.

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v PARACHUTE.

APPLICATION. FILED APR. 30 l9l9. y

Patented Aug. 16, 1921.

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UNITED -STA-'ms PATENT. v OFFICE.

FELIX J. COlUGHILIN,` OF VERSAILLES, OHIO.

PARACHU TE.

Specification of, Letters Patent.

Application `1ed April 30, 1919. Serial No. 293,858.

- of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inParachutes, of which the following is a specification.

Modern practice compels that parachutes be packed in small compass inreceptacles usually water-tight. They must open automatically and withcertainty and no special skill should be required to pack them in theirreceptacles in Vsuch a manner that their opening when needed will notybe interfered with. TheA embarkation in the parachute -is neces.-sarily hurried in most instances, so that a parachute vmust be designedfree from any possibility of the numerous necessary ropes fouling -fromthe sail failing to extend, or from any defect in the automatic openingof the parachute that would prevent it from taking its proper form,without any interference by the operator who, under the stress anddanger necessarily incident at the time of his embarkation, is not in acondition to exercise any thought or skill. Besides meeting theserequirements, the present device has many features of strength,stability and adaptabilitythat will appear from reading the followingportion of this specification.

Figure 1 is a. side elevation of a parachute opened for descent. Fig. 2is a side elevation of a parachute just after its detachment from itsfastening. Fig. 3 yis a side elevation of a parachute beginning to leaveits receptacle. Fig. 4 is a view ofthe tunnel looking at it from thebottom. Fi 5 is a view of the parachute as shown in Fig. 2 looked atfrom the top. Fig.v6 is a'view of the parachute packed in ltsreceptacle. Fig. 7 is a View ofithe load ring and sling for the aviatorlookin at the parachute open from the bottom. Fig. 8 shows theconnection between the gromet and thevv suspension cords. Fig. 9 1s atopview of the parachute opened. Fig. 10 is a bottom View of the hoops ofthe air `tunnel nested together.

I Fig. 11 shows the top of the parachute immediately before beingdetached from the packing case. Fig. 12 is a slightly different form ofparachute just detached from the packing case. Fig. 13 is a perspectiveview of the air tunnel, gromet with connecting guys, and Fig. 14a form.of seam that may be used to unite the sa'1l gores. Fig. 15 shows amodified form in open position.

The parachute has"a sail, 5, from which,`

when the parachute is open anddescending, 1s hung the load ring, 13, bythe suspension cords, 4, 4. A collapsible air tunnel to secure thecarrying of the air into the interior of the sail to open it freely andevenly, is

suspended from the top of the sail and, vattached by guys, 1, to theload ring, 13.

The sail of the parachute is formed of gores, 21, connected together attheir edges by the seams, 20. At the top of the parachute is there-inforce, 6. The gromet, 12, surrounds the vent, 14. The suspensioncords, 4,-4, are attacled to the gromet,' 12, in practice, by splices,17. See Fig. 8. The suspension cords, 4, 4, are preferably each in asingle piece from the gromet, 12, to the load ring, 13, and pass throughthe seams, 20. The load ring, 13 and the gromet, 12, are Vconnected byguys that are enough` shorter than the total length between the grometand load ring of the suspension cords, 4, 4, to bring these guys tautbetween the load ring, 13, and the gromet, 12, before any of the weightof the load is upon the sail of the Patented Aug. 16:, 1921.,

parachute. 'In practice', these guys extend the air tunnel also; one setof guys running from the load rings, 13, to thebottom frame, 10, of thevair tunnel, the other set from the top frame, 8, of the air tunnel tothe gromet, 12.l The top frame, 8, and the lower frame, 10, ofthe airtunnel are connected by collapsible connections, in practice, thenetting, 9. This netting, 9,`is preferable to any other. form ofconnection I know, because it prevents better than any other I havetried, the fouling of the guys or .suspension cords. The air tunnelpreferably has also intermediate hoops, 81, `and 82, and is sus'- pendedat a short distance below the top ofl the netting, 9, should, while thesail is `opening at least, be rendered taut by the load. The frames, 8,and 10, are preferably circular. I vprefer to wrap them with tapes, 17,to prevent them from cutting the silk or other fabric ofthe sail. Thehanger, 15, 1s suppliedl for attachment of the parachute to the packingcase, 20, by the holder, 5t), attached to face, 51, of this case. It 1spreferably attached by the thin cords, 52..

The parachute when carried upon the alrplane or balloon is packed insidea packmg case, 20. The one illustrated is a convenlent form in that itis circular and flat on the opposite sides. The case should, of course,

be as small aspossible to contain the bulk of the parachute Vand -inthis respect the present parachute in which every part is collapsiblefulfils a very important requirement. While the packing is being donewith some care in orde-r to get the entire bulk of the parachute insidethe packing case, I have found that in practice thetroubles incident tothe necessity with the ordinary form of parachute of careful packing sothat it will open with certainty are rendered unnecessary in the presentdevice, which will open practically without regard to the manner inwhich it is packed. The sling, 7, should project outside the bottom ofthe packing-case. In Fig. 3 the parachute is shown ust emerging from thepacking case, 20. he guys, 1, 1, between the load ring, 13, and thebottom frame, 10, of the air tunnel are taut, and have drawn this framedown and make thev meshing between the frames of the tunnel begin totake its tubular form. The parachute then passesy into the appearanceshown in Fig. 2. The guys, 2, between the upper frame, 8, and thegromet, 12, and the meshing, 9, 'between the frames, 8,-and 10, havebecome taut and have caused the hanger, 15, to break the cords fasteningit to the packing case and the parachute is descending freely. It may benoted that the suspension distance of the tunnel is suflicient to insurethe passage of a column of air into the interior ofthe sail,

5, and this will not be pulled down by the suspension cords, 4, 4, whichwill remain loose as though carrying no weight and have not taken anyjpart in detaching the parachute from its moorings. The parachute willfinally take the form shown'in Figs. l and 9, and the sail will have allits carrying capacity in' effect. A load bar or other load carrier canof course replace the load ring, 13. Figs. 12 and 15 show a form ofparachute where the air tunnel is hung lower down and contains only twohoops.

I claim:

1. In a parachute, the combination with the sail having. a vent and aload carrier, of

v readily frangible sail supporting cords, ilexible connections betweenthe middle part of the sail and the load carrier and an air tunnelcollapsible in the direction of its lenl th, and extended by thetautening of the flexible connections secured between the load ring andthe top of the sail.

2,'In a parachute, the combination with the sail having avent, andi-'aload carrier, of readily frangible sail supporting cords, flexibleconnections between the middle part of the sail and the load carrier andan air tune nel collapsible in the direction of its length and extendedby the tautening bf the flexible connections, the tunnel having itssuspension p osition between the vent and the load carrier. 1

3. In a. parachute, the combination with the sail and load carrier of acollapsible air tunnel, having an u per and a lower frame and flexibleconnections between the frames, and guys connecting the upper frame' tothe middle portion of the sa1l, and guys connecting the lower frame tothe load carrier, the combined lengths of the guys and flexibleconnections between the frames of the air tunnel being short enough toextend the air tunnel before weight is thrown on the parachute.

4. In a parachute, the combination with from the upper frame of thetunnel to the Y gromet and from the lower frame of the tunnel to theload carrier the 'combined length of the guys and porous textile fabricbetween the said frames being short enough to extend the air tunnelbefore weight is thrown on the parachute, and a'hanger connected to saidgromet.

5. In a parachute, the combination with the sail and load carrier ofreadily frangible connecting cords secured to thesail` near its center,an air tunnel, having frames with flexible connections between theframes, and guys connecting the upper frame to the middle portion of thesail structure, and the lower frame to the load ring and guys extendingfrom the bottomvframe of the air tunnel to the load ring, the guys andflexible connections being short enough to extend the tunnel beforeweight is thrown on the parachute sail.

, F'ELIX J.ooUeHL1N.

